Slate Tea Tasting Trays

I call this the slate challenge!  And my dad rocked it!!!

I bought this house at auction almost 15 years ago.  In 2011 I had a new roof put on.  I have layers of shingles over slate.

I asked the roofers to save me some slate.  I new at some point I wanted to do something fun with some of the slate.  So, the slate has been sitting in my craft attic.

I love have tea tastings in my house.  I asked my dad if he could make me some tea tasting trays.  I knew if I would not want to have food on the slate, unless I sealed it.  And, I did not want to seal them, I wanted to be able to write with chalk on them.

My dad did not disappoint!!  He made me these great trays.  The slate is just sitting in the trays, so if the slate breaks I can put another piece in them (since all the slate is the same size).

I love these!  They are unique and fun.  The one longer tray is slate that is not from my roof- but slate that my grandma had gotten to paint on.

To think these slates are over 100 years old.  I just love the character of each one.

Aren't these great?  Perfect for serving a variety of teas.

These trays are perfect for putting 4 cups on to taste!

Dad even added handles on these trays.

I hate the feel of chalk on my hands, so I found these liquid chalk pens.  The best part is I don't have to touch the chalk!

  I can put the name of the tea under the cup or if I want to do a blind tasting, I can put numbers or letters under the cups.

I can write on these slate pieces and wipe it all off and start again.  I can not wait to do a tasting!

I love these and they were basically free!!!  Reuse and Recycle.

Tea painting

I am starting a new paint by numbers.  These are so much fun to paint.  I have this place that sells these painting for around $6.99 each with a small shipping fee.

This has been a super fun hobby I picked up last year. I love to paint while listening to books on tape.

https://paintingbynumberfactory.com/products/diy-painting-by-numbers-afternoon-coffee?_pos=2&_psq=coffee&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 Below is the goal of what I hope my painting turns out to be.

This is my latest paint by numbers...

I getting closer to finishing my tea set with macaroons painting.

I finished!!  I really like this one.

Can you see what I took out of the original painting???  It was the coffee beans on the table.  I wanted it to look more like a tea set than coffee.

I hung it in the kitchen to enjoy.

These are the 3 that I have finished...

These 2 below are my next pieces....

 

Fresh Thyme, Nitro Tea, Peach Blossom

I wondered what the hype of Nitro Tea was...see this article. https://nitrobrew.com/nitro-tea/#:~:text=But%20nitro%20tea%20gives%20you,added%20sugars%20in%20your%20diet.

https://discover.freshthyme.com/shop/categories/3885

I wanted to like this tea, I really did.  But, I could not even finish one glass.  The flavor was not fruity or have notes of citrus.  It was not at all refreshing.  I was really disappointed.

The good thing is there is only 5 calories.  But, the really awful thing beside the taste was the price...it was $2.25!!!  I almost did not buy it, but I really wanted to try it.  Wish I had passed.

Okay, I always say on here you should try a tea two to three times before you give up on it.  I had bought a second can of the Nitro Tea.  Instead of tossing it out, like I wanted to do, I tried it.

I have to say this one was not as bad.  It still was not something I would want or pick to drink again, but I did finish this one.  It just is so one note and bland.  I would get the note of tartness, but that was about it.

As you can see, I did not like it that much better, I only gave it 1 tea cup.

Tea and treats with family

It is great to take time to be with family.  I loved spending the afternoon sitting around and talking over tea and treats.

I picked up some fun treats to share with my mom and sisters. Some Swiss Chocolates,  nuts, and cookies.

https://www.worldmarket.com/search.do?query=cookie

Ladyfingers from Italy-picked up at World Market.  I was not a big fan of these.  They were plain and tasteless.

German Cookies from Ohio Tea Company.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/

Dutch Caramel Wafers from World Market.

Scotland Shortbread from World Market.

Pizzelles from Italy, purchased at World Market.

Lace sugar for the top of tea.

My sister also made crumpets.  We had a great array of tea treats.

I made a chai with almond milk that we all enjoyed.  The chai is from Aldhi.

https://www.aldi.us/en/products/simply-nature/

I made a hot Harney & Son Tea in this tea set that my dad brought back from Germany for my mom over 50 years ago.

https://www.harney.com/search?q=cranberry%20autumn

I also made an iced tea.  Raspberry Oolong from Dragonfly Tea Room.

https://www.dragonflyontheriver.com/tea-room/

We used the sugar lace dollies in our tea.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/551726607/edible-lace-cake-lace-sugar-lace?ref=related-2

Yes, I enjoyed two plates of goodies....don't judge.

                                 

This was an afternoon filled with great food, great tea, laughter and time with family.  PRICELESS!!!

Aldi Simply Nature Organic Chai Tea Latte

https://www.aldi.us/en/products/beverages/tea/

I just learned Aldi was selling tea concentrates. My girl friends and I were talking about trying it.  We learned that they come in three flavors-chai tea latte, dirty chai tea latte, and London fog tea latte.  Simply Nature Organic Tea Lattes cost $2.99 for a 32-ounce carton. 

If you are wondering what dirty chai is...it has espresso in it. I am not a fan, but some people love it.  London Fog is Earl Grey tea with lavender in it.

My one friend was sweet enough to get me a container of the Chai Latte for Valentines Day.  I was super excited to try it.  I like my chai lattes iced.  It is simply equal parts chai and equal parts milk, with ice added in.   I used almond, oat, or soy milk in my lattes.

In the Chai latte is black tea, ginger, cardamom, clove, anise and nutmeg

I also am loving my monogrammed glass. I am looking forward to making more at the Wayne College lab.  They have a laser engraver that they let people in the community use for projects.

I enjoyed this concentrate.  It is a bit sweet, so I just put more milk then tea in the glass.   I was able to get the chai notes, but it was more sweet then a spicy chai.

Tea Charcuterie Board

I bought this Charcuterie board at Big Lots on my birthday.

https://www.biglots.com/search/?Ntt=boards

I enjoyed making myself a little treat on my birthday.  This little board is the perfect size for individual serving.  It is fun to use this as a plate.

How fun would it be to have friends over and get them each a board with their initial on it.  They can eat off of it and then take it home as well.  A little thank you for coming over and a fun favor for them to take home.